Skiers flock to Tahoe for great conditions

Courtesy photo by Rachael WoodsErrol Kerr skis fresh powder at Alpine Meadows Ski Resort just north of Lake Tahoe, where the snow level reached 13 feet over the weekend.

On 13 feet of snow over the stormy President’s Day weekend, Alpine Meadows Ski Resort reported great powder skiing conditions.
The heavy snow means more business for Sierra resorts that limped through a dry season last year.
The Lake Tahoe region received more than six feet of snow in the last seven days with most of it falling during the President’s Day weekend.
“The powder party continues,” Tourism Director Andy Chapman of the North Lake Tahoe Resort Association said Monday. “Skiers and snowboarders are in for a treat with optimal conditions at area resorts and for those that love groomers, our teams are out in full force making rows and rows of corduroy.”
Alpine Meadows, located about three miles north of Lake Tahoe, features slopes at about 7,500-foot elevation. Skiing conditions were so good that many visitors decided to stay longer on Monday, said spokesperson Rachael Woods.
“More people extended their day through Monday, because of the conditions,” Woods said. “We were at capacity over the weekend and our parking lots were full. We had more than 3,000 cars here.”
With the heaviest snowfall coming Sunday morning, visitors had time to arrive before the brunt of the storm hit.
“This was one of our strongest weekends,” Woods said. “Travelers had a window of opportunity to drive to the mountain and arrive here with a little break in the storms. Once they were here, the skiing got better every day.”
Deanna Gescheider, vice president of marketing at Alpine Meadows, was happy to report an increase in sales at their ski shop.
“We had a record day at our retail store,” Gescheider said. “We sell a lot of gloves and goggles whenever we have snow.”
On Sunday and Monday, the world famous Warren Miller film crew was at Alpine Meadows.
“If that kind of film crew is here, you can imagine how good the snow is,” Gescheider said. “This is the best weekend this season. There were no injuries and no one got lost.”
February is typically the month when Alpine Meadows receives the most snow, Woods said.
“The storms that started in early February have just kept going,” Woods said Monday afternoon. “We received 20 inches of snow Sunday night and it’s still snowing.”
Northstar at Tahoe received nearly five feet of snow over the past seven days at the summit and more than three feet at mid-mountain, said spokesperson Jessica VanPernis.
“There are a lot of people here this President’s weekend and we anticipate many will stay throughout the week as a result of the new snow and many California schools are off this next week for winter break,” VanPernis said.
There are plenty of spectator events coming to the region. On Donner Summit, Sugar Bowl has Jam 4 The Cure this Saturday, a benefit featuring boarding for breast cancer. On Thursday through Sunday, the best skiers and snowboarders will push the envelope at the nationally televised Winter Dew Tour at Northstar-at-Tahoe.
From Feb. 27 to March 5, the world’s finest free skiers and riders tackle the steep rock face below Squaw Valley’s Tower One, Tram Face.